the Vampire and the Assassin

Chapter 19

Ian pulls a suitcase out of my closet and starts throwing clothes in it.

"I can't leave without telling Roselyn bye." It's eleven at night, and Roselyn has long since turned in.

"You can call her on the road." He looks at my shoes. "Do you have any hiking boots?"

"Ian, I can't." My hands cover his, but he breaks free, continuing to pack my bag. "Ian," I say louder. I'm not worried about Roselyn waking up; once she goes to bed, she's knocked out till morning. "Ian... stop!" He looks at me then and runs his fingers through his hair.

"This isn't how it's supposed to happen." He sits on the bed with slouched shoulders. His hand then moves to his forehead in deep thought.

I reach out to him in an attempt to comfort the guy I barely know who has turned my life upside down. My fingers have a mind of their own as I run them through his hair in the same fashion he had done earlier, but just a little bit slower. I stand in front of him as he sits on my bed, his head lowering to my assault. He moves his head underneath my hands, letting me know where he wants my fingers to massage.

He raises his head to look at me. "You tread places that I don't think you're ready for." I pull my hands away, but not fast enough to escape his grasp. "I didn't say that I wanted you to stop." I feel my heart speed up in anticipation of what will happen next, but my mind works for me even if every cell in my body doesn't agree.

My hands slip from his slowly. He's right. I'm not ready. This vampire/assassin relationship is getting difficult to navigate, and most of all confusing.

He stands and walks to my window, seeming to be back in control. "We'll leave first thing in the morning."

"Will they still attack this town?"

"Probably," he looks out the window as he speaks.

"Ian, we can't leave them." I walk up and stand beside him, following his gaze.

"I can't protect you here. They'll be too many of them now that they know you're here, and soon the whole world will know about them."

I feel a weight deep in the pit of my stomach. If he thinks they can do it, then what will happen to everyone? The humans will be enslaved for their blood, or perhaps death— that would be the better option of the two. I'm supposed to be their protector, and now... I just feel like a complete mess, "When does it happen?"

"I'm not sure." His eyes don't leave the window.

"Then maybe there's still time. We can at least warn them." He turns to me, and I know he's about to say no. "Please, Ian. It's something. Maybe some of them can survive."

"Don't put too much hope into it. This is a world that they know nothing of." He goes back to staring out the window. "I will entertain this idea as long as possible, but if I have to choose between keeping you alive and staying, we're gone no matter what."

I know exactly what that last sentence means. He'll drag me away if it comes down to it, and he has the strength to do it. I'm the Assassin, but apparently, I only have strength if I feel threatened. That's why the training sessions are so important. He thinks I'm the most important weapon to human survival, but I feel vulnerable in this new world that's coming so fast. I should be strong and able to handle anything, but it seems I'm still dependent on the vampire I've known less than a week. I have a plan though. I will find a way to stay and fight because I can't leave everyone I've grown up with. It's my choice, and it will always be my choice. Ian thinks Roselyn hasn't trained me properly, and maybe she hasn't taught me to fight, or anything about weaponry, but she had taught me to have a voice. I have never let anyone dictate my actions, and I'm not going to start now. Several thoughts run through my head, the top being how exactly can I overpower Ian? I can't believe I'm thinking about it, considering all the help he's given me, but he's made it clear I'm not going to have a choice, and we'll both leave everyone to die if it comes down to it.

Ian's voice pulls me out of my thoughts. "I need to take some of your blood so that I'll know if you're in trouble." He continues to look out the window as if that's the most common thing to talk about— taking someone's blood.

I still don't understand the whole vampire thing, and I'm not sure if I ever will, but I know enough to know that in the movies, complications always arise when a vampire takes your blood. "How about I just scream really loud?"

"That won't work all the time," he says, taking my expression literally. His eyes stay focused outside.

We're having a conversation, but his eyes are elsewhere. So instead of standing by him and wondering what he sees that I didn't, I decide to flop down on my bed. My eyes go to my ceiling where Bryn had painted the Milky Way. It's beautiful and always relaxes me when I feel stressed. She's really talented, and now she probably won't get to go away to college as she had planned. Hell, there won't be any college to go to soon, or maybe they will keep them open, but instead of going to class to learn, you'll go and give blood. What about if you have O-negative, the rarest blood of all? What will happen then? Will you be treated like a queen, or will you be killed on the spot because the taste is so sweet it can't be helped? "Does one blood type taste better than the rest?"

He still looks out the window. "In a way. It depends on what you're looking for at the moment."

I swallow hard, closing my eyes. I can barely talk about blood. I need to get it together for what's coming. "If you take my blood, will you be able to control me?"

Ian laughs at the notion. "If only that were true." I feel the bed dip with his weight as he lays down next to me.

My eyes remain closed. "Will it hurt?"

"Just the opposite."

"Okay, I'm ready." I squeeze my eyes tight and ball my fist up, expecting the worst pain ever when his fangs sank deep into my skin, but the only feeling is the slightest caress of his fingertips on my wrist. I can feel my body relax under the gentle touch before his lips take the place of his fingers. I feel the prick of his bite; it isn't painful. It's light and airy like a rainbow gliding softly and gently as I flow through the different colors. My body arches beneath him as he suckles my wrist between his lips. I reach for him, but he's gone. I sit up in bed alone and look down at the tiny marks he has left on my wrist.

I've just let a vampire take my blood, and it's the best feeling I've ever felt.